Balance
by Original Usermane
Summary: Fluttershy's destiny has been put on hold- but fate always has a way of getting back on track. Eventually. And maybe Rainbow Dash will still be the reason she gets her cutie mark, just like she was supposed to...


Hello, everypony! I'm a fairly new Brony, not getting into the show until around Christmastime last year (2013), but I've already fallen in love with the sense of community and acceptance I've found, and I've never been happier. I want to thank all of you for making this fandom such an amazing thing to be a part of!

The idea for this one-shot came to me while I was re-watching the episode "The Cutie Mark Chronicles", and I wondered what would have happened with Fluttershy had she not fallen off of that cloud during Rainbow's race. I hope you all enjoy, and feel free to leave feedback!

* * *

Rainbow Dash blasted off from the starting line in a streak of… well, rainbow. She passed the timid filly that she was defending within moments. The whoosh of air created by her and her fellow racers unbalanced the young flight-impaired pegasus…

But she managed to steady herself and remain on the cloud.

A few mere minutes of racing later, once Fluttershy had rejoined the other fillies safe on the main cloud, a giant explosion rocked the air, accompanied by a burst of color. Fluttershy gasped. A sonic rainboom? She didn't know that was actually possible!

A beaming Rainbow Dash reappeared a few moments later.

"Did you see that!?" she exclaimed. "A sonic rainboom! And I got my cutie mark!"

"That was amazing," Fluttershy praised shyly. "I know _I _could certainly never fly like that. If…. at all."

"Ah, don't feel down on yourself. It'll come for you, too, someday," Rainbow said. "And when it does you and I can have a long laugh at those dumb bullies' faces, okay?"

"Oh, but, that wouldn't be very nice," Fluttershy protested hesitantly. Rainbow laughed.

"I like you," Rainbow decided. "Name's Rainbow Dash, the most amazing friend you'll ever have! What's yours?"

"Oh, um… I'm…" she trailed off, mumbling.

"What's that?" Rainbow asked. Fluttershy swallowed.

"It's Fluttershy," she said quietly. "And I don't know that you'll want somepony like me as a friend. I'm really not that interesting or talented or fun, and-"

"Don't be silly!" Rainbow scoffed. "If I think you're good enough to hang around with, then you definitely are! You're 20% cooler than anypony else here, without a doubt!" Fluttershy blushed at the praise.

The two panting bullies returned, defeated, to the finish line.

"No fair!" one complained. "You cheated!"

"Don't be sore losers," Rainbow said, irritated. "I won, fair and square! Now leave Fluttershy alone, or you'll have to answer to me!" The two colts growled and flew off angrily. "Come on, Fluttershy, let's go. You can bunk with me in my tent tonight."

_One month later…_

"Who knew we went to the same school!?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed happily on the first day back, noticing a quiet Fluttershy in the back corner and instantly taking the seat next to her.

"Um… I did," Fluttershy admitted softly.

"Why didn't you say anything!?" Rainbow demanded incredulously.

"Well, I know I'm not a very memorable pony, so when you didn't recognize me I didn't want to make it seem like I was accusing you of not remembering me," Fluttershy explained hurriedly.

"You worry too much!" Rainbow laughed. "My feelings aren't hurt! Sorry for not recognizing you, though."

"It's okay," Fluttershy assured.

"This is great, though! We're gonna be the best of pals, you and me!" Rainbow said. "I can even help teach you to fly and try to help you figure out your special talent!"

"You would… do that for _me?_" Fluttershy asked in awe.

"'Course!" Rainbow said with a grin. "We're friends, aren't we?"

"Yes," Fluttershy said with a smile.

* * *

_Seven Years Later (They're 15)..._

"There's that blank flank freak of nature," somepony whispered cruelly as Fluttershy walked to her next class. She winced at the salt thrown into an open and festering wound, but held back the tears as she ignored the pony and kept walking.

"How do you live for fifteen years and not figure out what your special talent is?" another mocked. "She must be stupid or something." A lone tear trickled down Fluttershy's cheek, but she kept her head down and didn't say anything, picking up the pace just slightly.

"Or maybe she doesn't _have _a special talent," another muttered. The dam broke as this final blow was dealt, and a sobbing Fluttershy ran into the bathroom just as Rainbow Dash turned the corner.

"WHO. MADE. HER. CRY!?" Rainbow bellowed, an icy cold flame boiling in her eyes. Quiet fell immediately, and a few ponies paled. Rainbow Dash was famed to be overly protective of her blank flank friend, and everypony knew it was a bad idea to cross that temper of hers. "Can't you see she has a hard enough time without ponies like you making her life miserable!?"

Rainbow turned her back on her classmates in disgust and followed the trail of Fluttershy's tears into the bathroom. She leaned her head sadly against the stall door that hid her best friend from view.

"You okay, Fluttershy?" she asked quietly, cautiously. Fluttershy spent more time depressed than not nowadays, and Rainbow was beginning to worry down to her bones that Fluttershy was on the brink of becoming suicidal, especially since Rainbow knew for a fact that she was the only bright spot in the pegasus' life. Her parents had died when she was only a foal, and the other fillies and colts at the orphanage were much the same as at the school- unsympathetic and lacking understanding.

"What if they're right?" Fluttershy sniffed. "What if I'm not good at anything? What if I never get my cutie mark? It gets worse every year, Rainbow, and I don't know how much more I can take!" Rainbow's heart was shattering for her friend.

"I know," she said lamely. "But it'll all work out in the end, it has to."

"But what if it doesn't!?" Fluttershy exclaimed, uncharacteristically loud as she pulled the stall door open to face her friend. "Once I'm eighteen, I'm out of the orphanage with nowhere to stay, and even if I tried to get a job, nopony would hire me if I don't have any sort of talent to contribute! I still can't even fly right! Maybe it would have been better for everypony if I'd just died when my parents did!" Rainbow's worst fears were coming true. She launched herself at Fluttershy desperately, wrapping her hooves around her as angry tears rushed down her face. Fluttershy stiffened, not at all used to her brash friend being touchy-feely and emotional.

"You can't talk like that!" Rainbow growled through her tears. "Don't _ever_ talk like that! You're my best friend, Fluttershy. If anything happened to you, I-" she couldn't force any more words out and continued crying onto Fluttershy's shoulder. Fluttershy crumpled, returning Rainbow's hug and tears with equal fervor.

Another teenage mare walked in unnoticed, saw the alarming scene, and promptly alerted the nearest teacher.

"I'm sorry," Fluttershy choked as they sat outside the principal's office, waiting for Dash's parents to pick them up. When the girls had been taken to the office by a concerned teacher, Dash had suggested that they head to her house to recover. Since her parents _were _listed as emergency contacts for Fluttershy, the school allowed it, and Dash placed a call simply telling them to come and pick them up.

"I know," Rainbow replied, putting her arms around Fluttershy again, more gently this time. "Just don't ever scare me like that again."

"I won't," Fluttershy agreed.

When they arrived, Dash's horrified parents were filled in on the whole story by the principal.

"We'll be keeping a very close eye on Fluttershy after this," the principal said. "And severe words will be had with the student body. Pushing a girl to think such things is unacceptable. I'll call the orphanage when we're done here and fill them in on the situation."

"Thank you," Rainbow's mom said, sharing a worried look with her husband. They left the principals office and immediately rushed the girls. "Are you both alright? Is there anything I can do? Anything you need?"

"We're fine now, mom," Rainbow assured her, taking a deep calming breath to dispel the last of the tears. Fluttershy, still being held, looked up and gave them a watery smile.

"Let's get you two some blankets and ice cream, stat," her mother said determinedly. "You need it."

They went to Dash's home and relaxed for the rest of the day, recuperating. Rainbow, still on edge, kept one hoof around Fluttershy's shoulder protectively the whole time.

After dinner time, where Dash's mom had gone out of her way to make all of Fluttershy's favorites, a worker from the orphanage came by to pick her up. Fluttershy reluctantly headed for the door.

"Wait just a moment, dear," Dash's mom stopped her. "We want to speak to her alone for a moment."

Rainbow's parents took the orphanage worker into the other room. Fluttershy glanced confusedly at Rainbow Dash, who shrugged.

Speaking 'for a moment' ended up taking over an hour, at which point both girls had drifted off. Fluttershy, a fairly light sleeper, woke when Rainbow's parents came back in, though their daughter slept through it like a brick.

"Is it time for me to go?" Fluttershy asked tiredly, struggling dazedly to her hooves. Dash's father shook his head and gently pushed her back down/

"No, Fluttershy. You're staying," he said with a soft smile.

"I can stay the night?" she asked, returning the smile tiredly.

"Tonight, and every night after, if you want," Dash's mother corrected. Fluttershy stared at them.

"You mean…" she asked, trailing off in disbelief. They nodded, and she hugged them tightly. "Thank you so much!"

"You've always been like a daughter to us. Now it'll just be official," her new mother said happily. "It's late. Get back to sleep. We can surprise Rainbow tomorrow morning. The orphanage worker said she'd bring your things over."

Fluttershy thanked her again a few more times before settling down next to her new sister and dozing off into the first happy dreams she'd had in ages.

* * *

_Seven Years Later (They're 22)..._

Fluttershy still hadn't gotten her cutie mark, but she was resigned to it, by now. She'd been correct in assuming that she'd be unable to find a job after school, but Rainbow Dash had all but demanded that Fluttershy live with her, so Fluttershy earned her keep by doing housework while Rainbow paid the bills.

Rainbow worked long hours with Cloudsdale's weather team, and spent nearly all of her free time training to audition for the Wonderbolts, so the only _real_ time the sisters had to spend quality time was at night before bed, but they made the most of it. One day Rainbow came home with news.

"I got transferred," she informed her sister. "Ponyville's growing and needs a bigger weather team to keep things rolling. We're going to have to move."

"O-oh," Fluttershy said in a small voice, her ears going down. New place meant new ponies- ponies that hadn't long gotten over the unnaturally old blank flank. The staring and the rumors would come back…

"I know it's not ideal," Rainbow said with a sigh. "But at least we'll be together, right?"

"R-right," Fluttershy agreed.

"I start in two days, so we'll pack tomorrow and get going the day after, okay?"

"Okay."

"Thanks, Fluttershy. I'm sorry about this."

* * *

_Two Days Later (They're Still 22)..._

"I don't know about this," Fluttershy said nervously, crouching as low as she could to the cloud, peering cautiously over the side. She gulped. "I'm really a terrible flier, and I don't know if I'll make it…"

"Come on, you've gotta try, Fluttershy. I can't carry you the whole way there," Rainbow said. Fluttershy sighed.

"Alright…" she said, standing up and spreading her wings slowly. Rainbow Dash took off and hovered, waiting for Fluttershy to join her in the air. Fluttershy flapped her wings uncertainly a few times, lifting herself off the cloud.

"There ya go! Nothin' to it!" Rainbow said. "Now let's go!"

'_Don't look down… don't look down… don't look down…'_

"We're almost there!" Rainbow announced a few minutes later, breaking Fluttershy's concentration just long enough that her eyes betrayed her and wandered downward.

"Eeep!" Fluttershy squeaked, and her wings refused to hold her up any longer, sending her plummeting into the forest below.

"Fluttershy!" Dash exclaimed, darting down after her.

"Ow," the pale yellow pegasus whimpered, her wing sprained painfully.

"Are you alright!?" Rainbow fretted.

"I'll be fine," Fluttershy said. "But I've pushed my luck too long with the flying. I don't think I can anymore with my wing."

"Well… it's not far to Ponyville," Rainbow said hesitantly. "I guess we can walk. We'd better hurry, though. I don't want to be in the Everfree Forest any longer than absolutely necessary."

They managed to reach the edge of the forest, emerging into a gorgeous meadow, seemingly without incident. Just when they thought they were in the clear, they heard a twig snap behind them and spun to face a manticore that had followed them out.

Rainbow tensed to fly to safety, but Fluttershy couldn't fly, and Rainbow would never leave her on her own. The animals in the meadow, however, had no incentive to stay and so scurried into various hidey-holes to save themselves.

"Stand back, Fluttershy!" Rainbow said bravely, getting ready to fight.

"Oh, no, Rainbow, wait!" Fluttershy exclaimed, putting herself between Rainbow and the manticore.

"Fluttershy, what are you doing!? Get away from… that… thing," Rainbow trailed off, watching in amazement as Fluttershy soothed the angry manticore. It presented its paw, which had a large thorn sticking out.

"Now, this may hurt," Fluttershy warned kindly. She took the thorn in her teeth and pulled, causing the manticore to rear onto its hind legs.

"No!" Rainbow shrieked, panicking. But, instead of attacking, the manticore nuzzled and licked Fluttershy affectionately.

"There, that's better, isn't it?" Fluttershy asked happily. "Go on back home, now." The manticore disappeared back into the forest. Fluttershy wandered to a group of animals hiding under a bush. "Don't worry, you're safe now." She moved to some squirrels and birds hiding in the trees. "Nopony will hurt you, you can all come out."

Slowly, the animals responded to her soothing tones and gathered around, nuzzling her thankfully.

"You're very welcome, little friends," she said happily. Rainbow, about to ask in awe how a timid thing like _Fluttershy _had managed such an amazing feat, froze when she saw a sight she never thought she'd see. She started tearing up joyfully and glomped Fluttershy, who looked at her confusedly.

"What is it, Rainbow?" she asked, confused.

"Fluttershy, it's _here!_ It's _HERE!_" Rainbow grinned widely. "It's _finally HERE!_"

"What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked, tilting her head to the side in confusion.

"_Your cutie mark!"_

* * *

So there you have it, folks. I felt like that was a good place to end the story, since beyond that point their lives, for the most part, got back on track to how they are in the canon universe. I do have some ideas for little scenes that would be different, though, so if you ever want me to write out some scenes for later in their lives, just let me know, and I may add a few chapters. If not, though, I'll just leave it as 'complete'.


End file.
